The Proper Son of Zion
by Saint-Gustwind
Summary: To humans, a war is near its end; to machines, the war has just begun. Neo is the One, but his code is incomplete. Was there something left out of the prophecy?
1. Default Chapter

Following the Code.  
  
The sound of an alarm clock setting off is rather annoying. The constant buzzing can break through any slumber, with the exception of a coma. As the noise grew in the background, Seth Kaye had begun to wake up, a mixture of confusion and the eery green glow emanating from the monitor of his computer which he had fallen asleep behind making his mind fuzzy.  
  
"When did I fall asleep?" He muttered to himself.  
  
There was nothing on the screen except for a green blip, awaiting Seth's command to type in any word, letter, number, whatever could be obeyed. He sat in front of the screen for a while, not exactly sure what to type, but knew exactly what he wanted to say.  
  
Is anyone out there? He typed quickly.  
  
No reply.  
  
Well, if anyone shows up, I've got a question that'll prolly have you thinking for a while.  
  
He was about to get up when something flashed across his screen. Straight to the point, someone had answered his call.  
  
I know what you're going to say before you say it.  
  
His brow furrowed. Seth sat back down at his computer and began to type away.  
  
Really? Then give me an answer; let's see how right you are.  
  
A sense of stupid pride washed over him. He was happy that perhaps he would be able to upset the mysterious being which he was talking to, but he didn't know exactly why, making him feel.well, a little stupid.  
  
You're wondering why when you want to sleep, you can't, and when you're ready to work you fall asleep.  
  
Well, you're half-right.  
  
Let me finish-You're also wondering why your dreams seem more real to you than your actual life.  
  
Seth sat back in astonishment. How could this person he never met know exactly how he was feeling?  
  
.Lucky guess.  
  
You really think so? Or are you like this to everyone?  
  
I'm not exactly trusting to people I don't know. Who are you?  
  
You'll find out soon enough. Regardless of what you may think, You and I have a lot in common.  
  
Not really sure of what to say, Seth stared at the screen, bewildered.  
  
Don't go to work tomorrow. Instead, at 10 a.m., come to 1510 Burlington Square. Your life could depend on it.  
  
Seth was beginning to worry. Endangered life? He was just a bag boy at the old market, who would want to take his life? He started to type a reply, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.  
  
Don't worry about the door, it's not what you think it is, but exactly what you think it should be.  
  
Seth looked between the door and the screen. Could he actually believe what this person was saying, or could it be that he was to go to the door believing he'd be okay, when in fact someone could take his life, or maybe this was all a prank, some elaborate scheme by his friends to shake him up, or-  
  
He wouldn't have to worry anymore, as the consecutive knock was answered by his friend's voice.  
  
"Bro, open up the door! Come on, I gotta pee bad!"  
  
Seth ran to the door and swung it open, pulling his friend inside in the process.  
  
"Some joke you tried to pull!"  
  
"The hell're you talking about?" His friend answered dumbfounded.  
  
"That wasn't you on the screen?" Seth answered questioningly. Of course it couldn't have been, the person on the other side of that electric box replied after the knock.  
  
"Dude, you need to get out more often."  
  
If it wasn't his friend, then who was it? What exactly was happening?  
  
Seth ran to the computer to find another message typed elegantly on the screen.  
  
Follow your friend, and you'll be led to a white fox.  
  
"Yeah, so anyway, let's get out of here. I know a fun place we can chill."  
  
They were at the club for about an hour, Seth's friend dancing and mingling with friends and whomever else he could find, and Seth standing near one of the pillars holding the ceiling. He was tired, but the questions of the mystery person on the computer and the conversation were keeping him awake.  
  
"I know who you are."  
  
Seth spun around in the direction of the voice. To his surprise, there was a girl standing in front of him, with white blonde hair like fluorescent light, gray eyes, and a leather halter-top and pants. She was beautiful, and to Seth's eyes she appeared to-  
  
"Look like a fox." Seth mumbled.  
  
"I get that a lot. You've been in contact with us, and for that I am glad. We're always looking for a free mind."  
  
"Wait," Started Seth, "what exactly are you? Were you who I was talking to before?"  
  
"No no, you'll find out who that was soon enough. Listen, I understand how you feel, we all felt like that before we knew. You're going to be fine, just listen to us and we'll get you through this."  
  
"What? I can't just listen to you, I don't even know who you are.I don't even know who 'we' are, or is, or whatever."  
  
The girl smiled at him before placing on shades that had a black tint with a gray shine to them.  
"When you get home there'll be a package. Inside the package will be some of the answers, but most of all, there will be a note telling to go straight to Burlington Square tomorrow, nowhere else. You may not understand now, but if you do as told, you'll find out soon enough."  
  
As she began to leave, Seth looked into his hand. She had slipped him a CD while they were talking, but there was no label to it.  
  
"Hey, uh, excuse me.what's your name?"  
  
She turned around and dropped her shades a bit. Her features certainly made her look like a fox staring at a stranger in the woods. Seth couldn't help but feel attracted to her.  
  
"I'm Artemis. We'll talk later."  
  
She walked off leaving Seth in awe. His friend came upto him, ready to leave, but Seth had trouble moving his feet.  
  
"You're not gonna believe this bro, but I just met Artemis!"  
  
"Yeah.who?"  
  
"Man, Artemis! She was responsible for the hacking and virus implanting of the D.E.C. mainframe! She single-handedly destroyed an entire company's file database, and.you don't care."  
  
".I'm ready to go home. I hope you got her number or something."  
  
Alas, he did not. Instead, as he got home, the package was there as promised. He opened it to reveal a note, several different disks that contained information Seth had never heard of, and a cell phone. Seth took this time to soak up the events of the day and fall asleep.  
  
His dream was worse this time around. Men in black suits and dark sunglasses were chasing him, their faces showing no emotion, like cold- blooded killers with no remorse. He was running through an abandoned building, dodging bullets and broken glass, as a voice behind a cell phone directed him to his destination: the rooftop. There, there would be a phone waiting to-  
  
The signal was fading out, and Seth wasn't sure what was happening. One of the men had appeared before him, but there was enough distance for him to escape his grasp. As he made his way to the rooftop, a bullet grazed his shoulder. The pain was sharp, but he continued on. He was looking for a phone, the phone the voice had told him to reach, but there was nothing. He turned around, and just as the voice behind the cell re-appeared, one of the suit-clad men had broken down the door.  
  
"Where's the damn phone?!" Seth shouted as he fell out of his bed. His eyes snapped open, and he found himself no longer at the rooftop, but on the side of his bed. He felt his shoulder, and luckily but not surprisingly, there was no wound. He looked up at his alarm clock to see that the time was 9:30, and that it would take at least 45 minutes to reach Burlington Square. He jumped up and put some clothes on, and ran out of the house while blindly taking the cell phone and other artifacts.  
  
"Shit, I never checked this!" Seth cursed to himself as he found the CD Artemis gave him at the club. He still wasn't really sure why he was going to meet back up with her, but he had a comfortable feeling in his stomach that things would, indeed, be fine. While he made his way downstairs, a black Nissan 350 Z was waiting for him downstairs. Artemis stood beside it, but she did not seem like herself at the club. Instead of a playful smile, she seemed to be in serious mode, as if someone had just died. She was also dressed differently; she now had a long black leather coat, and it seemed she was concealing something. Seth's stomach dropped, but he felt as though he could not go back. She motioned to get into the car, and as he did so, he saw that they were not alone.  
  
"Er, hi." Said Seth to the two people in the back. One just looked forward like a corpse sitting upright, but the other smiled and nodded his head. He was an Asian man, probably Japanese although Seth did not know. The man had spiked hair with several bangs shadowing his face, and just like Artemis and the other person sitting next to him, he wore sunglasses, although his were a deep blue. He was also dressed in a black suit with a white spot on his collar, sort of like a priest. The other person had short hair and wore pitch-black sunglasses that had very thin legs, almost like piano wire. He also wore a black suit, but it had gray lines striping it. He had on a long coat and leather gloves.  
  
"I think we're ready to go." Artemis said.  
  
The drive to Burlington Square was quiet. Very quiet. Everyone just looked forward, which Seth noticed as he could not stop looking around. There was no radio, or to say that there was, rather, they just had not put it on. It was a cloudy day, but no rain. As they pulled upto 1510 Burlington Square, Artemis stopped the car and got out. The man with the bangs jumped into the front seat, and Artemis told Seth to get out of the car. As the car pulled into a nearby garage, Artemis and Seth made their way into the building.  
  
The building itself was near the outskirts of the city, its view consisting of a nearby river and several other buildings and warehouses. As they walked inside, Seth knew exactly where he was.  
  
"This is just like my dream." He said out loud.  
  
"You had a dream about this place?" Artemis questioned.  
  
"Yeah, but.the dream was different. We're going up to the 5th floor, right?"  
  
".Yes." Artemis said, almost to herself. They had walked upto the 5th floor, where there were two seats, a table in between, and a glass of water. There was a window in the room they arrived at, but a man in a black jacket that had shoulder pads that spiked up to a point was blocking it. Satan would have been proud of that jacket. It flowed like water onto the ground, and almost mirrored Seth's reflection if not for the wrinkles and bends. He had long hair, with more bangs than the Asian man from before.  
  
"It's good to see you, Seth." The man said, his voice deep and cold enough to freeze the room. Seth wasn't sure if the man had meant that as a welcome or an end. All he knew was to be wary of the man.  
  
"You know my name.?" Said Seth. The man nodded, but never taking his eyes off of the window.  
  
"Of course I do. You may not realize this, but you are the most important man in this world right now."  
  
Seth was clearly confused. Artemis walked upto the man and whispered something to him, to which he nodded like before.  
  
"Please, do sit down." He said, his voice a little more easing. Seth sat down in the chair, and although it was old, was very comfortable. He looked around the room, but there really wasn't much to look at, unless your thing was cracked walls and peeling wallpaper. Apparently the ceiling was falling apart; there were holes as if people had fallen through. Finally, the man had turned around, revealing a dark face and eyes that could pierce the souls of the gods. He, too, wore sunglasses, but his were small and square yet were enough to block out the sun. Although there wasn't any, but Seth wouldn't tell him that.  
  
"My name is Xerces. I've been looking for you for some time, and I must say now that I have found you I am greatly pleased."  
  
Seth nearly fell out of his seat. He had just met Xerces, and although few have heard of him he knew exactly who he was. Xerces was a global hacker, keeping his profile very low. Xerces had found him one night as he searched through databases, but he disappeared quickly. The only way he could find him again was through little clues within the coding of the Internet.  
  
"I know what you're thinking, that you've been able to finally find me when nobody has ever before."  
  
"Yes, I mean.wait, didn't you find me?"  
  
"Of course. Do you think those codes were left by mistake? As I said before, I've been waiting to find you for sometime, but I had to make sure the time was right. This time couldn't be any better."  
  
".Why me?"  
  
"Before that, I must tell you the truth of your being here."  
  
Xerces began to sit down in front of Seth, but not before pulling out a katana from within his coat. It was concealed, and was very detailed. He placed it to the side of his seat, and sat down, his long coat flowing well past the chair.  
  
"How real does this world seem to you?"  
  
"Well, I'm breathing the air, I go through my life like any normal person.I would say it's pretty real."  
  
Xerces' face stood calm and still.  
  
"What if I were to tell you that you've been living a lie, and that there was only one way to truly find out exactly how far from the truth you really are?"  
  
He looked Seth directly in the eye. Seth could only hold the look for so long, but finally he gave in to his curious mind and asked.  
  
"What is the truth? What are you going to do to me?"  
  
"I'm going to try to make you see the truth. You see, the world has been nothing but a lie. The way you breathe, the way you eat, the way you tie your shoes had been nothing but a carefully pieced puzzle contrived by another force, another being in this world that you can't understand by my words, but have to see by yourself."  
  
"You.probably already know what I'm going to ask next."  
  
Xerces smiled. Seth thought that he might have blown up by doing so, for the smile seemed very out of character for him.  
  
"You're exactly how I thought you'd be."  
  
"I'm not sure how to take that, but thanks."  
  
Artemis had continued to stay by Xerces' side. Seth figured out that he was the leader, that was common sense, but he was still in the blue about why he was here. The truth? He wasn't sure where to begin with that.  
  
"Before I answer the questions in your mind, I'll answer the one that's been asked. The force I speak of is called the Matrix. I cannot explain to you what it is, you have to see it for yourself, but one thing you must know is that it is the very reason why you are here today."  
  
Seth had understood that, to whatever extent he could.  
  
"Okay, the Matrix.so then, what does that have to do with me?"  
  
"The Matrix is a virtual prison. For the past 6 months there have been those who have fought against it; some have lived, others have died, but there are still those waiting to be freed, whether they know it or not. You, I believe, are the key to their liberation."  
  
Seth's head had begun to hurt. Now he was a key of salvation? A bag boy?  
  
"But, how do you know that I'm the key?"  
  
"We've followed your code throughout the Matrix, and you are a pure being. That is, you have a specific code that cannot be tampered with, a code that only one other has, which leads to my other suspicions."  
  
"Suspicions?"  
  
"Yes, that you and the one they call Neo are indeed intertwining parts that equal the One."  
  
Seth had understood everything up until Neo. Why did that name sound familiar?  
  
"Wait, Neo.he was a hacker, too."  
  
"Yes, he was found by Morpheus, whom you may already know given his notoriety. Unlike him, I preferred to keep low, it helps keep tracking off of my crew and I. Anyway, Neo has been discovered to be the One, but I now know that he is not enough to stop the Matrix. I know this because of you."  
  
"Wait.if the Matrix is all codes, and you are all hackers.why don't you just hack the Matrix into oblivion?"  
  
"Easier said than done, Seth. It is highly guarded in this world; the world of the Matrix, by those called Agents. Of course, there are other programs, but they are inferior to them. After this conversation, they will know that you know. By the way, Artemis has told be of your dreams. The men in suits are what I have just referred to, so if you ever see them.run."  
  
"What are they, super-human?" Seth joked.  
  
"Close to it. They have the ability to transfer their data into human beings, those that are still plugged into the Matrix. If they knew we were here, you'd be one of them right now."  
  
The thought sent a chill into Seth.  
  
"Are you ready to find out the truth?"  
  
Seth nodded. He did not know why, but for some reason the curiosity of it all had led him to believe that it couldn't get any worse than it already is.  
  
How wrong he was.  
  
"Good, then I have two pills-one red, the other blue. The blue one sends you back home, to your own world, with your own opinions, beliefs, thoughts and actions, or so they'd have you believe. The red one destroys your dreams and reveals the truth beneath the debris. Which will you choose?"  
  
Unconsciously, Seth chose the red pill. He downed a glass of water to push the pill through, and then.nothing.  
"Good, now we continue." Xerces said as he rose from his chair. Seth followed him into another room behind a curtain; a room filled with gadgets and a large chair that was equipped to a lot of equipment. The two men from before were there, prepping up the machine.  
  
"Looks like the electric chair." Seth chuckled. When nobody laughed, Seth worried.  
  
"Believe me Seth, you'd rather have that after what you go through here." The Asian man said.  
  
Seth sat down into the chair, and was promptly set up to the specific calibrations. Xerces had walked upto him, his towering figure looking down upon Seth.  
  
"Soon, you will understand it all."  
  
The machine went off, sending Seth into a twisting realm that could be a tourist sight from hell. He did not know what was coming nor going, but did know that he was choking on some disgusting liquid. He managed to escape his prison, only to find that there were metal objects attached to his body. One particular object was lodged into his throat and nose, and he took that out rather quick. Coughing from the recent experience, he finally had time to open his eyes, but if he had his way, he would have shut them back and never opened them again.  
  
He was placed high atop a tower of red orbs, and into the horizon was the same view. Dark with the exception of the towers, his confusion reached new heights. To top it all, he was naked, cold, and covered in goop. He also noticed that he was the only one in the world, but that loneliness soon flew away.  
  
"What in the world?!" He shouted as a gigantic robot flew upto his spot. It surveyed him for a second or two, and without haste, grabbed him by the throat. It must have thought that he was nothing more than a failed experiment, and flushed him from his orb into the sewers of some god- forsaken city. The last thing he remembered was the long water ride down, and then darkness. When he awoke, he was being unstrained from a chair, and Artemis, with much shorter hair, was smiling above him. Xerces was there, too, but his hair had fallen straight down. The other two were manning computers, but they kept an eye or two on Seth.  
  
"Welcome to the real world, Seth." Xerces said before Seth passed out once more.  
  
The dreams had not ended, contrary to Xerces' word. The following dream landed Seth and Xerces into the same building, with Seth still running from the 'Agents', as they are succinctly called. Artemis had made her way to the top, and it was now Seth's turn. However, the dream ended the same as before; a bullet wound on the shoulder, and an Agent looming over him.  
  
"Good to see that you're okay." Artemis said to Seth. He awoke on a cold, metallic bed with only a head comforter and a blanket. Seth stood up and surveyed the area, but still could not believe his eyes.  
  
"Where am I?" Asked Seth.  
  
"It's exactly what Xerces said. You're in the real world."  
  
"Real.world.maybe I'm gonna need some more enlightenment."  
  
Artemis laughed. She was cute when she laughed, but he could tell that she had some pain to her. Those gray eyes were gray for a reason.  
  
"The Matrix was the world you lived in, a hoax. The real world is the completed opposite. We're in the future now, and machines have begun to take over the earth. It's a long story, you'd be best to listen to Xerces."  
  
"Yes, he would." Said the cold voice from afar. Xerces had walked into the room, his face emotionless.  
  
"Oh, commander Xerces. I was just filling in Seth on some of the loose ends, but there are a lot of them."  
  
"Good, then he'll be ready to know it all."  
  
Seth was led into a room with multiple chairs, one for each member on the ship. Apparently, there had been 6 members, but Seth could only find 5.  
  
"These chairs are hooked directly into the Matrix. We are able to hack into parts of it, but not without a little sacrifice first."  
  
Seth wondered what he meant, but decided not to ask. If he died now, it wouldn't matter too much to him. So far, the ride's been scary enough. He sat into the chair and was prepped up once more, and soon he realized what the meaning of sacrifice meant.  
  
"Why is this in my head!?" He shouted. They had joined a metallic object, like the one from before, into his head, and the pain was near excruciating.  
  
"This, is the sacrifice. Don't worry, you'll get used to it in time."  
  
Time was not something Seth had on his mind. To think of it, he had nothing on his mind except for pain. Soon though, he was out of the throbbing hurt and into a white room, along with Xerces who had not changed his look. Seth was still wearing the same clothes from before, when he was apparently in the Matrix.  
  
"This is known as a simulation of the Matrix. I'm using it to stress my point to you, but it can be used for other purposes. Now, let me explain everything to you as best as I can. Machines control the Matrix; it has been this way since before we can remember. There was a war between us, 100 years ago, and we had lost. They isolated us into one spot, what we call Zion, the last human salvage. They did not know we were there until recently, and because of this we need your help. As I said before, you are the other piece to the One, and until I can find Morpheus, you will remain with us."  
  
"Now, the One is the key to salvation, right?" Asked Seth. "How come it took so long to find me?"  
  
"Originally, we thought that Neo was all it took, but upon further observation of his code, there were pieces missing. The search was on, and eventually your code was the match. It has been a trying time, and because of this we have run out of opportunities. You and Neo must prevail."  
  
"I see. So then, these people that are 'plugged' into the Matrix, that means that as soon as the robots are defeated they instantly wake up?"  
  
"It will be a long effort, but eventually they will all wake up. That is besides the point of this all, what you need to know is that although we must save them, we must also watch them carefully. As I said before, the Agents roam the Matrix looking for us, the rebellion, and they will stop at nothing to kill you. We are nothing but threats, and they will use the unplugged humans as hosts to find us."  
  
"Okay, and now this Zion, is it? Well, it's the only remaining home for humans. Where is it?"  
  
As soon as he had said this, the room changed into the scorched wasteland of Earth. "Located near the earth's surface, where it remains warm. The world has become cold and dead, as machines have upgraded into what they are now. They used to be solar powered, and when we knew this, we destroyed the sky. Ecosystems fail, atmosphere drops, and of course, we lost everything we held dear to us. The robots, on the other hand, did not die as we had planned. Instead, they found a way to live, and we had planned in vain."  
  
"Is there anything else I need to know?" Asked Seth, as though he already knew what was happening.  
  
"You'll need to learn as much as possible."  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"Asopus, bring us back."  
  
The white room had disappeared, and they were back on the chairs. The objects removed, Xerces turned towards Seth.  
  
"I mean, whatever you think you must know, we will let you know."  
  
He pointed towards Asopus, who showed him the monitors.  
  
"In other words, kid, if you want to learn how to kick some ass or use weapons, we're the go-to guys. By the way, welcome aboard Poseidon, the swiftest ship next to the Logos. You'll meet them later."  
  
"And you're Asopus?" Seth asked.  
  
"The one and only. Now, is there anything I can get for you? Normally we have to teach you the basics, but that's boring shit. Wanna have some fun?"  
  
The next 7 hours were spent learning as many martial arts styles as Seth could take. He learned acrobatics, languages, even how to swim better, in case he ran into those sewers again. Xerces had made his way to Asopus and Seth, curious as to the welfare of his new crewmember.  
  
"7 Hours, I see?"  
  
"This isn't human. Only Neo's been able to go through this, and he did it in 10!"  
  
"This is interesting." Xerces said as he made his way to Seth.  
  
"Can you hear me?" He asked.  
  
".Y'wanna see somethin' cool?"  
  
They were hooked back up into the simulation, only this time it seemed as though they stepped into feudal Japan, only without the feuding part. They were outside an emperor's castle, in the courtyard, and were dressed in gi.  
  
"As part of this simulation, you must learn that the Matrix is just the same a computer. Rules can bend, some can break, and all you must know is that in order to know you must believe they don't exist. This usually takes time but-"  
  
Seth understood a bit too well. He had flown towards Xerces, shooting a roundhouse to his ribs. Xerces, however, grabbed his leg and pushed him aside, and the fight began. Seth would fly into the air, kicking and punching at Xerces, and Xerces would block and attack Seth. This went on until Seth let his guard down, and Xerces sent him flying into a wall with a side kick.  
  
"You're doing well, but you're not fully understanding what the Matrix is about."  
  
Seth got back up and nodded, his back in pain but still willing to continue. He changed styles, from using Shotokan karate to Tae Kwan Do, and began kicking Xerces with a passion. Xerces, however, seemed to be made of metal, blocking and absorbing all of Seth's attacks. Finally, he threw a fake punch to Seth's face and kicked his leg out, landing an uppercut to his jaw. Seth fell hard to the ground, blood flowing from his mouth. He wiped off the trail and spat whatever he had in his mouth, and stood up.  
  
"How're you so good?"  
  
"How are realizing the rules?"  
  
Seth switched into Tiger Claw Kung Fu, and with waving arms jumped right into Xerces. He grabbed, twisted, and punched, but Xerces escaped, grabbed, and threw Seth to the ground. As soon as he got up, Xerces sent a kick to Seth's head, but he dodged the attack so quickly it made Xerces' eyes widen. Seth stood back up and shot a punch to Xerces, but was caught and lifted into the air by another of his kicks. The pain was great now, and he took this as a signal to stop before he was killed.  
  
"I'm going to end this to tell you something I've already told you." Xerces said, much to Seth's happiness.  
"You're reading so much into the rules that you forgot what I told you. I'm good because I know that the rules in this simulation mean nothing to me. The quickness is not with my muscles, but in me believing that I am quick enough. I have not lost my breath yet, because I believe I cannot. Why do you believe that you're losing?"  
  
"Because I wasn't sure of the way of the game." Seth said as he ran over to Xerces. The speed he possessed was much different from before; he was a flash before Xerces' eyes. Seth appeared behind him and shot an elbow into his back, but Xerces had turned quick enough to catch it. However, he was not able to catch the backhand raised to his face.  
  
"That was quick." Xerces said plainly. Seth smiled.  
  
"So just by simply believing that I'm faster than light, I can be that fast?" Seth said, now out of the simulation and back on the Poseidon.  
  
"If you believe you can shoot fire, if the rules can be broken than you can."  
  
"Ah, it depends on the rules. How about flying, is that possible?"  
  
"I've seen it before."  
  
"So I can fly?"  
  
"Maybe we should practice a little more on believing, and then we'll see." Xerces said with a chuckle.  
  
Making Xerces laugh was unexpected, but made Seth feel good. They had gone to the mess room in search of some grub, but instead found gruel. It wasn't all too bad, except that it looked and tasted like leftover snot.  
  
"I guess the taste grows on you." Muttered Seth as he poked at the slime.  
  
Everyone had gone to sleep, but Seth was having a hard time staying that way. He walked around the ship to see Asopus still governing the computer screens, but something else caught his eye. The screens weren't normal, that is to say that they seemed to be stuck on what Seth believed to be screensavers. Green symbols were falling down the screens, behind a black backdrop.  
  
"Is that a city?" Seth asked Asopus.  
  
Asopus turned suddenly towards Seth, shocked to see someone else still up so late.  
  
"Uh.yeah. You can read this?" He asked. Seth nodded as Asopus pointed towards the screens.  
  
"Well it's not exactly what I'd call picturesque, but yeah."  
  
"That's interesting. Most people don't even know what this is."  
  
"Well, I guess it's even more interesting that I don't know, either."  
  
Asopus stood quiet for a bit of time. Finally, he nodded blankly and turned back to the screens.  
  
"This is the coding of the Matrix. It's odd that you can read it, but not know what you're reading. Very, very interesting."  
  
"I.see. Sort of. Anyway, what're the screens for?"  
  
"Tracking. If you're sent into the Matrix, I can direct you out if you're in a jam. Also, I can detect Agents and any other forms out there, just in case."  
  
"Ah." Said Seth. He understood bit by bit, but decided to himself not to soak in too much for fear of burnout. He sat down next to Asopus, who was busy scanning through the multiple screens. "I'm.never going to see my friends again. My life's gone, right?"  
  
"Well, it could be worse. You could be dead." Asopus replied. "You have to realize that you're no longer living the lie, that the life you led never really existed."  
  
"Well, yeah, but.the life I led was still mine, even if it was fake. There are people I'll probably never see again, or say goodbye to."  
  
"Well, the beauty of the Matrix is that those that are still plugged in will turn up. You won't be missing anyone, but you sure as hell won't see them as much as you'd like to."  
  
"How come?"  
  
"'Coz Xerces has plans for you, for us. Basically, our lives before being freed are over."  
  
Seth still had trouble sleeping that night, but eventually fell into slumber. He awoke to people talking in the other room, and as he made his way up, was greeted by Artemis, looking beautiful even with rags for clothing.  
  
"Time to plug in, guy." She said with a smile.  
  
They were heading off to a meeting of the captains and their crews, but the main attraction of the night was that Neo was supposed to arrive. Seth was, of course, brought along to meet him and quite possibly end the war.  
  
"You're going to need a new name. Seth isn't.warrior-like." Xerces told him as they set up the chairs to link them into the Matrix.  
  
"So then, what should I be called? How about.Drive, or maybe Screen, or something cool 'coz I can't come up with a good name."  
  
"Have you noticed a pattern within our crew?" Xerces stated plainly. "Everyone carries a name of the Greek gods and goddesses. Asopus, the river god, is our pilot of the Poseidon, the god of the oceans. Artemis was the god of hunting, but was as fair and beautiful as the others. I am Xerces, a Babylonian king. I'm quite possibly the only one that has a different tag."  
  
"So, then I should be."  
  
"I will call you Trojan, after the tactic used to ambush the people of Troy. You are our advantage, as the Trojan horse was for the Greeks."  
  
"That.sounds okay." Seth said thoughtfully.  
  
They had transported into the Matrix when Asopus called Xerces on his phone. After a moment or so, Xerces hung up and turned to his crew.  
  
"The meeting's over, we have to leave."  
  
"Why?" Asked Seth. "We just got here."  
  
"There are Agents, and as good as you are I don't think you're ready for them."  
  
"So then we have to find the way back, where's our point?"  
  
"Back at the warehouse where we unplugged Trojan."  
  
They found their 350 Z and drove off to the warehouse, which was a good drive away. However, they noticed upon steering out of the meeting point, they were being followed.  
  
"Ah shit. Listen, Trojan, we have to get you out of here."  
  
"We're being followed by Agents, don't worry." Seth said.  
  
"How did you know?"  
  
"Well, you suddenly telling me I need to go, and that I can feel them nearing us."  
  
"You can feel them." Xerces said unquestioningly.  
  
"Yeah, it's the weirdest thing. I have this.well, feeling in my head, like they're there."  
  
"You're starting to understand better now. We must leave."  
  
They sped off, with the Agents on their tale. One of them popped out of the window and pulled out his gun, and began to fire upon the crew. They swerved out of the way, but a couple of bullets broke through the rear window and trunk. Artemis pulled out a sawed off shotgun and sprayed gunfire through their car. It popped a front and rear tire, causing the Agents to lose their speed and control.  
  
"Turn right, here!" Xerces shouted as he reached into his coat. Seth turned around in enough time to see Xerces pulling out a silver-clad Uzi. They made eye contact for a second before Xerces turned around and shot a hail of bullets at the Agents. Compared to their guns, the Agents really didn't stand much of a chance. Their car crashed into a parked truck, causing an explosion that licked the rear end of the crew's car. They sped off to the familiar street and, upon finding the warehouse, barely stopped without putting someone through a windshield. They jumped out of the car and made their way into the building, only to be greeted by a bullet into the door. Seth stopped dead in his tracks, but Artemis grabbed him and rolled out of the way of Xerces oncoming gunfire.  
  
"Get him out of here, quickly! The phone is on the rooftop!"  
  
Artemis ran with Seth through more shooting; apparently, there were more Agents than they realized.  
  
"You have to get to the rooftop, I'll hold them off!" She shouted at Seth. He was afraid to move; he didn't want to leave them behind.  
  
"If you think I can't get out of this, then you're no good to me!" She shouted again. Seth nodded and got the nerves to move again. He ran up the staircase going to the rooftop, but was stopped by more shooting.  
  
"Christ, I need a gun!" He said out loud. There was a clank behind him, and as he looked around, it was as if his hopes and dreams became reality. There lay a gun, sleek black and slim enough for his hand. He checked the cartridge for bullets, and to his surprise it was loaded and ready to go. He got back up and ran through the staircases once more, and wherever there was gunfire or the face of an Agent, he shot back, hoping to hit one of them. It proved impossible; they had superhuman speed that made the Flash look like he was on crutches. Seth had seen the door to the rooftop, and instantly his memories kicked in. It was all too familiar to him, but he forgot what would happen next. In the midst of running and remembering, he kicked the door down and ran outside, but stopped suddenly when an Agent stood before him, its gun pointing at his chest.  
  
"Your presence is similar to the Anomaly. Deletion of your code has been approved."  
  
Xerces had made it to the last floor, with Artemis close behind. They were still dealing with the Agents, and so much gunfire had been produced that the warehouse looked as though it was about to crumble.  
  
"Artemis, get to Trojan as quickly as you can. I can take them."  
  
She ran upto the rooftop as Xerces put down his gun. The Agents had stopped firing, and now made their way towards him.  
  
"We would definitely have the advantage of deleting a captain of the rebellion."  
  
"A twenty percent advantage."  
  
"Commence with deletion?"  
  
"Proceed."  
  
Xerces unsheathed his sword and swiped fiercely at one of the oncoming Agents. He moved out of the way, allowing Xerces to attempt a stab at the other. Both Agents evaded the attacks and struck Xerces with their fists, although he had blocked their moves and kicked on in the stomach, pushing him into a wall. The other Agent swung at Xerces, who in turn fell to one hand and, in a handstand, tried to kick the Agent in the head. The Agent grabbed his leg and through him onto a remaining pillar, but Xerces bounced off and struck the Agent with his sword. As the Agent fell back, the other kicked Xerces in the upper back, sending him rolling on the ground. He jumped up, however, grabbing his gun on the way. He shot at the Agent, bullets spitting at literally seconds between the other, but the Agent was too fast for the movement of the bullets. Although the Agent was fast, however, he still needed time to regroup himself after his stunning feat, giving Xerces some time to make it to the rooftop. If need be, he could use his Uzi once more to create a diversion.  
  
Without thinking, Seth grabbed the gun, spun around, and gave an elbow into the Agent's chest. He flew about 20 feet from Seth, but rolled up and landed on his feet. The Agent ran towards him, throwing punches and kicks that were not only quick, but also felt like bricks being swung by metal poles. Seth could only block so much, giving the Agent a major advantage in strength. However, as the Agent struck another blow, Seth noticed that he was getting slower and slower by the second. He moved out of the way of the punch and drove his foot into the Agent's chest.  
  
"The target is moving at a much faster speed. His acknowledgement of the surroundings has increased forty percent more than the average human. Should I proceed with the deletion?"  
  
The Agent stood quiet for all but one millisecond. He stood up and threw a fist at Seth so fast it would have broken his face like a porcelain plate had it not been for his senses. He ducked the punch, and in a feat that surprised even the Agent, Seth leaped over him and kicked the Agent in the back. It sent him into the doorway Seth had knocked down earlier, but Artemis had been waiting there. With a gun. She shot the Agent dead in the face, causing him to stumble back from his mid-air flight.  
  
"The phone's over there, let's go!" She said.  
  
"What about Xerces, I can't leave him alone!"  
  
"You need not worry, just get to the phone!" A voice shouted. Xerces wasn't too far behind them, but judging by the clatter of feet and guns, they needed to leave as soon as possible. They all ran to the phone, Artemis first, then Seth.  
  
"I can hold them off for one more minute, but you need to go, now." Xerces stated. Seth nodded, and grabbed the phone. Suddenly, his body was surrounded by the familiar green glow of the screens back on the Poseidon. It was the familiar green code he had seen when he saw the Agents. 


	2. Seraph and the Oracle

Seraph and the Oracle'  
  
"Can someone tell me why there were Agents swarming the area?" Artemis shouted as she banged her fists against the dining table. Seth and the rest of the crew, sans Xerces, were huddled around the table, contemplating the prior events.  
  
"The only thing I can think of is that we were tipped off." Hermes said. Orpheus nodded along, but Seth doubted this notion.  
  
"We weren't tipped off. Our signals are becoming easier to focus in on."  
  
All heads turned to Seth.  
  
"And you know this how?" Asked Orpheus, his stone face fixed on Seth.  
  
"It's pretty much common sense when you think about it. All of the other ships were locked into one place, so the signal must have been heavy. Heavy enough for us to be found, at least."  
  
"It makes sense, but because of this we don't know what happened in the meeting." Said Hermes.  
  
"Approximately a quarter of a million machines are making their way to Zion, burrowing holes into the ground. They've found our location, and we don't have much time left." Said a voice from the corridor. Everyone's heads turned to see Xerces standing before them, his face solemn.  
  
"I need to talk to you, Trojan."  
  
Seth and Xerces walked onto the main deck, Seth following Xerces' lead. They sat down on the chairs and for a little while, things were very quiet. Deathly quiet.  
  
"Neo went to see the Oracle, but she could not be found. We're expecting a signal from her very soon, and I'm going to send you to see her."  
  
"What's she going to tell me?"  
  
"That is for you to find out. All of us have our own fates, that is all I can tell you."  
  
"Oh.Xerces.why is it when I saw the Agents, they were covered in coding?"  
  
Xerces fell silent, his gaze stuck on Seth. He thought it was quiet before, but now it seemed that any sound would have destroyed the room.  
  
"You're able to see their coding. This is."  
  
"Let me guess, either very good or very, very bad."  
  
"This is truly amazing. That fact that you can read this code means that your abilities are beginning to increase. Perhaps, everytime you enter the Matrix it heightens somehow. You and Neo must truly be one in the same."  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"Because it took Neo some time to do what you can. I think.no, I believe that all that Neo has accomplished is coming to you at a faster pace then when he had learned it himself. You're keeping up with him, but."  
  
"But what?"  
  
"I think you may surpass his ability, given some time."  
  
"Then I guess this is a good time to tell you."  
  
"Tell me what?" Xerces asked.  
  
"Well, when we were escaping the Agents, I didn't have a gun, and I was being shot at pretty bad. The next thing I know, I'm thinking of a gun and.it appeared in front of me."  
  
"So you're saying that you've created a gun inside the Matrix using only your thoughts."  
  
"To sum it all up, yeah."  
  
Xerces stared at Seth for what seemed like hours. Out of the corner of his eye, Seth could see the rest of the crew watching them from the kitchen area. It would be a good time for one of them to come up with some news, anything to break the silence.  
  
"Tomorrow we will reach Zion. You're going to see the Oracle as soon as possible."  
  
It was about three in the morning when Xerces received a call from someone claiming to carry the message of the Oracle. He had awakened Seth and told him to be ready in five minutes.  
  
"So what do I do when I meet her? I mean, do I have to bring anything or."  
  
"Bring your knowledge, your truth, and your mind, and she will tell you all. In the meantime, we'll contact you when it's time to come back."  
  
Seth plugged in, and was sent to what looked like Chinatown. There were several peddlers on the street, but the area was flocked with civilians. Seth made his way through them, cautious of an Agent attack.  
  
"The place seems clean. I can't feel them here. But, I do feel."  
  
He opened up the battered wooden door of the rendezvous point, and walked in to a man sitting on a bench drinking tea. Seth noticed something different of the man.  
  
"Your code, it's not like the others I've seen." Seth said, almost as an afterthought to himself.  
  
"I know why you are here. I am Seraph. You've come to see the Oracle,"  
  
"Yes, I can take you to her, but first I must apologize." Seraph stated as he bowed towards Seth.  
  
"Apologize for what?"  
  
"For this."  
  
He shot a fist at Seth, narrowly missing his face by a knuckle. Seth blocked the attack and passed it to the side, but Seraph did not let up. He threw more dizzying punches, followed by a jumping spin kick that Seth had jumped past, throwing one of his own. They landed on top of a table, knocking over a few cups and bowls. Seth went for a sweep to Seraph's legs, but he had jumped over it and came down on Seth with an axe kick. Seth had blocked his leg, however, and focusing his energy, stood onto one hand and kicked Seraph twice, although he had blocked both attacks. Seth stood up straight, but Seraph had thrown a punch that Seth had grabbed. He pushed Seth off, and as he landed on the other side of the table, Seraph held his hand up.  
  
"That is enough."  
  
"Enough? You just got me started. What's the meaning of this anyway?"  
  
"The Oracle has many enemies, I had to make sure you were the One."  
  
"Well thanks for the lesson, but you could have just asked me."  
  
"You never truly know someone until you fight them. Follow me."  
  
Seraph pulled out a chain of keys, opening a door behind them. Seth entered first, and was greeted by a bright hallway filled with green doors. It seemed to lead on forever.  
  
"Your code is incomplete. The Oracle was right about you." Seraph noted.  
  
"Thanks. Your code is different, too. I'm seeing gold instead of the green, so I take it you're not an Agent."  
  
"Agents cannot find their way into here. They have keys to all doors except for this. As for my code.my program created it this way for one purpose."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"To protect that which is most sacred."  
  
He opened a door that lead into another hallway, albeit this one was more like an apartment hallway. Seraph knocked on the door, and a lady answered.  
  
"Trojan, is it? The Oracle is waiting."  
  
Seth entered the apartment. It was quaint, mostly like an old lady's home, with the exception of little children playing on the floor. Or what seemed like playing.  
  
"Psychics?" Seth said out loud. The children were moving objects with their minds. The lady who answered the door put her hand on Seth's shoulder.  
  
"These children are gifted; they understand the Matrix and are able to bend the laws created by it."  
  
Seth nodded, and turned to a boy who had a spoon in his hand. He stared at it for a second, and suddenly it began to bend on its own. It snapped back to its previous position.  
  
"Nice trick, kid." Seth said with a smile.  
  
The boy looked at Seth with wide eyes. Seth sat down next to him, whereupon the boy gave him the spoon.  
  
"So what's the secret, huh? Y'got a magnet in your hand or something?" Seth said, trying to get the kid to laugh.  
  
"You have to understand the importance of the spoon."  
  
"That being?"  
  
"That there is no spoon."  
  
"Uh, kid.what do you call this?" Seth said stupidly.  
  
"Physically it is here, but mentally you must believe that there is no spoon. The spoon does not bend, it is yourself that bends to create what you see."  
  
"Man, you think Xerces would have taught me that." Seth muttered sarcastically to himself.  
  
He stared at the spoon, freeing his mind of any clouding thought. Upon staring, his mind fixated on the spoon, but suddenly it was as if there was nothing in his hand, as if it were the hand itself he was looking at. The spoon began to bend slightly, then into a full circle. Seth, upon noticing this, lost his concentration, causing the spoon to return to its original position.  
  
"Neat."  
  
The boy smiled.  
  
"The Oracle is waiting, Trojan." The lady said. Seth walked into the kitchen area, where an old lady of African American descent was baking what smelled like cookies. Trojan stood there, and as if she knew he was there, put her hand up to him.  
  
"Just one minute, dear." She said with a sweet voice that made Seth feel a bit more comfortable. She opened the oven and removed the cookies, then turned around to look at Seth.  
  
"Yep, I would have figured it was you. Sit down, please."  
  
Seth, a bit confused, did as he was told. She sat down in front of him, a weary smile stretched across her face.  
  
"A bit perplexed, are we? She said with a chuckle. "You have the same look in your eyes, just like he did."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"You know who I mean. But that's not the only reason you're confused, I know this already. You're here to understand why and how, right?"  
  
Seth nodded.  
  
"You're here to know that your life has meaning, which you have one sole purpose in this world, and believe it or not it's to save it."  
  
"Me, save the world? I'm just a bag boy."  
  
"Yes, in a world that you thought was real. You've known all your life that something wasn't right with the world, and you wanted to do something about it, but you didn't know exactly what. Now you know."  
  
"I'm not even sure what it is I'm going to have to do."  
  
"You know, sweetie. You just want to know how you can do it. All you need to know is that you must find Neo."  
  
"Easier said than done. He's pretty hard to catch upto, especially with so much Agent activity going around."  
  
The Oracle took out a cigarette and began smoking.  
  
"They're nothing to you. Although you're new to this place, you've turned into something that even they alone wouldn't be able to stop. Neo has proven this already. They've dubbed him 'Superman'." She chuckled.  
  
"I.I wanted to know about that, too. Why have I learned so much in such a short time? It's only been no more than a week."  
  
"You're catching up to what Neo has already accomplished, and I have to say that you've gone a little further than he has."  
  
"So that explains how I could create a gun out of nowhere."  
  
"Yes, and I must give you proper respect for that. You've got a gift, boy, and you need not be scared of it. You're going to give much needed help to your own."  
  
"My own? You mean you're-"  
  
"Yes, a program. Nice, isn't it?"  
  
"So why do they trust you, then? Xerces and Morpheus?"  
  
"Well nobody said that all programs were bad. You see, every program has a code written to perform certain tasks. I'm performing mine."  
  
"And that would be helping us?"  
  
"If that's why you think I'm here. I'm interested in the future, Trojan, and I know that as a union we will be able to see it. Do you know what your code is?"  
  
"No, but I'm not a program so how do I have one?"  
  
"There are some things that will be answered later. Anyway, you are designed, along with Neo, to reach the source. The only way to get to the source is to find another program, but it's much easier said than done."  
  
"How do I know what this program looks like?"  
  
"Because you're going to find the one who is holding them captive. He's known as the Merovingian, he's an old program from the Matrix. He has who you're looking for, a program called the Keymaker. I have to warn you, the Merovingian is very dangerous, and getting the Keymaker will prove not to be an easy task."  
  
"I'll try my best. Oh, and one more thing.when I do find Neo.what will happen?"  
  
"Your destiny will be complete. Goodbye, dear."  
  
Seth walked out to where Xerces was, and along the way noticed an Asian man in a long coat walk by him. He gave a nod to Seth, then walked into the kitchen.  
  
"We have a new mission." Seth said to Xerces.  
  
Xerces, Artemis, and Seth stepped out of the elevator, at the floor of Le Vrai, the restaurant where they were to meet the Merovingian. Seth knew that there was something wrong with the building; from the moment he stepped in, he noticed that the code changed, and that there were bombs on every floor of the building. On top of that, there were programs with several different codes, codes he couldn't explain. All he knew is that the monsters of his youth were, for some reason, all inside this building.  
  
"Let's make this fast. This place creeps me out." Seth said.  
  
"pouvez moi vous aidez??" The host asked the trio.  
  
"The Merovingian, please. We are here to see him." Xerces stated.  
  
"Ah yes, he has been waiting. This way, please."  
  
They made their way towards a large table at the end of the room, but it wasn't the extravagance of the hall that caught Seth's attention. Rather, it was a couple leaving the exact table they were headed to, the woman dressed in a pale blue dress and weeping on her significant other's shoulder. He too had a look of distress.  
  
"Ah, Xerces, C'est bon pour voir que vous en chair! And Artemis, Votre beauté inspire. You," he said as he looked at Seth, "I am not sure about, so I am wondering why you have been brought along."  
  
"Not to sound rude, but I don't believe it to be any of your business." Seth said. Two figures in the back shifted, probably to have Seth notice their presence.  
  
"Ah, you have some balls to you. I like that. I would like you to meet my wife, Persephone. Well, it is nice to see you all, regardless. Care for a drink, some food?"  
  
"No thank you." Xerces said.  
  
"Ah, of course. These things are inconsequential here, and there is no time, of all things. Then again, who has time, really? There is never time for things, and yet if we never take it, how can we have it, non? You sure you do not care for any wine?"  
  
Seth shook his head.  
  
"Château Haut-Brion 1959, such a magnificent wine. I love the French, they have such a beautiful language. I have sampled many languages, but theirs is so wonderful; especially to curse with- Vous les ordures incessantes, vous m'apportez ce morceau de punk de merde mais je vous laisse vivre. What do you think, eh?"  
  
"Vous devriez être plus poli à vos invités, il est grossier pour parler dans une langue stupide. I took French in high school." Seth said with a smile.  
  
The Merovingian seemed to glare at Seth for a moment, then laughed heartily.  
  
"You're proving to be a source of entertainment, boy." He said before he took a sip of wine.  
  
"If we could get back to why we're here." Xerces intervened.  
  
"I know why you're here, but do you know, exactly?"  
  
"We're here for the Keymaker." Xerces said bluntly.  
  
"Ah, but that is not a reason, nor a why. The Keymaker's presence in this place, his nature, is a means, not an end. You are looking for the Keymaker as a means to.what?"  
  
"I think you know why." Seth said.  
  
"Ah yes, but do you? I can see through your little designer glasses, I know that you do not know. You came here as an order, because you were told to come here." The Merovingian said with a laugh. "Such is life. You see, there is only one constant, a universal, if you will, the only truth: causality. Action, reaction, or more specifically, cause and effect."  
  
"Does this have a point?" Xerces said.  
  
"My point is that the truth of human beings is that you're uncontrollable. You like to show that you have reason, that you try to use logic, and yet you fight your feelings, your nature. You do not understand, and that is your downfall. Causality; to escape is useless, all you can do is understand its meaning, its 'Why', if you will. And yet, you come to me with no 'why', no reason. I would make this quick, but since you are so good at obeying, I have an order to give of my own. Find the soothsayer and tell her, her time is almost up. I will be leaving now."  
  
"This isn't finished." Seth said.  
  
"Oh, it's not? The Keymaker is mine, I see no reason to give him up, especially to you, boy."  
  
"Where are you going?" Persephone said to the Merovingian as he was leaving the table.  
  
"Mon cherie, I have explained myself through this whole conversation. I have things to check on, so if you would please." He said as he left.  
  
The two from the back laughed to each other, causing Artemis to look in their direction with a glare of daggers. The trio got up and left, making their way to the elevator.  
  
"Man, that could have gone better." Seth said with a sigh.  
  
"Did the Oracle say anything else to you?" Xerces said to Seth.  
  
"No, nothing else."  
  
"We should have done something else." Artemis said.  
  
"Or maybe we shouldn't have done something."  
  
"Actually, things went according to plan." Xerces said.  
  
"What makes you so sure?" Artemis asked.  
  
"We're still living."  
  
The elevator doors opened, and there stood Persephone, her stunning body covered by a off-white dress. She had long black hair, and eyes that seemed so cold, and yet she gave such radiance to her.  
  
"I will take you to the Keymaker."  
  
They made their way into the men's bathroom, and Persephone turned to the mirror to apply some lipstick.  
  
"My husband, he is what you call a jerkoff. When we first came here, he wasn't like this at all. He was so different. He reminded me of you." She said to Seth, who cleared his throat.  
  
"The Keymaker." Xerces said.  
  
"I will take you to him, but first I need something in return. A kiss, to be more specific."  
  
Artemis and Xerces turned to Seth.  
  
"Well, of course me, right?" He said.  
  
"I want you to kiss me as though you're kissing the one you have feelings for."  
  
"But, I don't-"  
  
"There is no need to lie, I can see your heart." Persephone said as she glanced over to Artemis. "Kiss me as though you would to.well, you know."  
  
"Alright." Seth said. He held Persephone in his arms, his lips nearing hers, every inch coming closer to her breath, to her pale and yet succulent lips. Seth closed his eyes, letting his senses move to only touch, rather than sight or hearing. As they touched, his mind wandered. In his own world, he had his own feelings, his own love, his own visions. They separated, and Persephone, though the kiss was over, still had her eyes closed.  
  
"You are a very loving man. She doesn't understand it yet, but she knows there are feelings. The woman you seek will love you back, but she has her own love to put aside first." She whispered to Seth.  
  
"Thank you." He whispered back.  
  
"Let us go."  
  
They went through a door in the kitchen that led them to a gigantic entrance of a mansion. It had several medieval weapons strewn about on the walls, and a staircase that looked as though it could lead to the moon.  
  
"How eloquent." Artemis said.  
  
They all walked into a room where three men were sitting around watching tv.  
  
"Hello boys, I've returned."  
  
One of them looked over at the trio.  
  
"The boss will have a lot to say about them being here."  
  
"Oh, well then send this to him." Persephone said as she took out a small hand gun and shot the man in the chest.  
  
"Silver bullets. These old programs are useless for only one thing: being grunts and lackeys for my dearest. Do me a favor and tell my husband we're here, or I will kill you both."  
  
The two left the room, and Persephone led them to the basement. Seth opened up a door crusted with filth and germination, and upon opening the door was greeted by an elderly asian man, in a room full of keys.  
  
"I'm Trojan." Seth said.  
  
"I'm the Keymaker. I've been waiting for you."  
  
The gang, plus the Keymaker walked back to the main hall when suddenly the doors opened up and standing there were the Merovingian and his gang. Two new men were there, and Seth notified them as the two from the restaurant. They were twins; albino skin, long dreadlocks, the same white clothing-They were ghosts, simple as that.  
  
"Woman, I cannot say what your reason is for all of this, but I must tell you that we've been here a long, long time, and you do this every chance you get. I won't have it anymore!"  
  
"You should have thought of this before you went gallivanting around, my love. Nonetheless, this is the 6th time I've done this to you, so you should very well have known there was a pattern going on. Have fun, my love."  
  
The Merovingian glared at the trio with a look of hatred stamped onto his face.  
  
"This won't be any different than the last times. You, get the Keymaker."  
  
The twins turned to the trio, smiling slyly, when suddenly they became transparent. Their appearance was much different now; their faces more twisted and evil. They made their way to the Keymaker, who in turn began to run.  
  
"This time I'm not going back!" He said as he opened one of the doors in the hall.  
  
"Xerces, Artemis, go on. I have this under control."  
  
Xerces nodded, signaling for Artemis to follow. She looked at Seth for a second, a bit surprised at his confidence.  
  
"Oh, so you have everything under control, non? I will teach you a thing or two about your place, boy."  
  
The Merovingian's gang ran after Seth, one of them throwing a punch at him. He blocked and shoved the man out of the way, throwing a kick at another coming to his side. He spun around and ducked another punch coming to his face, kicking the man and launching off of his head. As he landed on the ground, two others attempted to grab him, but ended up being thrown across the room as Seth grabbed their arms and spun them around. The rest had gone up the steps and grabbed some swords and a long mace, swinging and stabbing at Seth. His focus at its max, he evaded their attacks and grabbed one by the neck, snapping it as he threw him into the others. One down, seven more to go.  
  
As he dodged their attacks, he jumped off of a statue to grab a weapon of his own. He reached out for a sword, but pulled back as he narrowly had his hand cut off. He spun to the floor, where two of the men grabbed onto his shoulders. He back flipped behind them, jabbing them in their throats with a couple of ridged hands. They bent forward, and Seth used them as launching pads as he flew back to get a sword. He found a katana hidden beneath some of the debris of the statue he jumped on before, as it had fallen and crashed. Everyone stopped and grabbed their guns. Seth had his back turned towards them, one hand on the hilt, the other on the sheath.  
  
"Kill him."  
  
They shot their guns, hundreds of bullets flying at Seth. The fire and smoke filled the room, as well as the reverberating sound of gunshots. Yet the whole time he was being shot at, Seth had sliced every bullet that came his way. His focus in full effect, Seth he had seen the bullets, and to everyone else, had stopped them at the speed of a god. The shells had fallen to the floor, a graveyard of bullets and smoke. Seth's glasses had loosened up a bit, and he pushed them back up the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Yes, don't we like to show off." The Merovingian said, annoyed.  
  
They ran back at Seth, but with katana in hand had sliced, chopped, stabbed, and overall decimated his opposition. When he finished, only he and the Merovingian were left standing.  
  
"You're not even the real thing, and yet you've become so unbelievably adamant in your beliefs. Rest assured boy, the time will come when you will realize that you're nothing more than a tool. I will get my revenge on you!" The Merovingian stormed out of the room, closing the great door behind him. Seth ran and opened it again, only to find himself staring out at a mountain top.  
  
"Yeah.what?"  
  
"Operator."  
  
"Asopus," Seth started, "where the hell am I?"  
  
"Wow, uh.in the mountains. How'd you get there?"  
  
"Believe me, I wish I knew myself. Anyway, how're Xerces and Artemis doing?"  
  
"Well."  
  
Xerces had already caught upto the Keymaker and was well on his way to find an exit, with Artemis keeping the twins at bay. However, it was a hard thing to do as they were transparent, and apparently invincible when doing so. They came to a locked door, in which the Keymaker opened up. They found themselves in a room with several doorways, all green, and a long, white hallway.  
  
"You must close the door, quickly!" He shouted.  
  
"I must wait for Artemis, I will not leave her behind."  
  
Artemis had finished off her rounds when she came jumping through the doorway. In the excitement, however, they paid no mind to the twins, and as Xerces began to close the door, one of them had transported through the wall and placed his arm between the door and the moulding.  
  
"I've never seen a ghost before." Xerces said as he opened fire on the twin's arm. Nearly hanging by a thread, it still seem unphased (no pun intended) by the attack.  
  
"Please, could you hurry up?" The twin had said to his counterpart.  
  
He phased through the doorway and grabbed the Keymaker, pulling out a switchblade in the process.  
  
"Open the door or we all won't get what we want. Or at least we will, I don't mind spilling blood." The twin holding the Keymaker said.  
  
The duo of Xerces and Artemis were at a loss. Attacking them would result in the death of the Keymaker. Their constant phasing was difficult to pass by as it is, so fighting them and protecting the Keymaker would prove near impossible.  
  
"Fine, you win now." Artemis said. She looked at Xerces as though he may have a plan, but he was stone faced as usual.  
  
"I would like to slit that pretty throat of yours." The twin not holding the Keymaker said to Artemis. "But for now, I can wait. The Merovingian is expecting us."  
  
They left with the Keymaker in tow, and were now in the room with the seemingly infinite doors, alone.  
  
"So, what do we do now?" Asked Artemis.  
  
"I suppose we'll have to wait. These doors are all locked."  
  
"We could be here forever."  
  
"Not quite."  
  
"You really have faith in Seth, don't you?"  
  
"I have the utmost faith in Trojan. If he only knew who he really was."  
  
"I know. If his code is any indication, then he's-"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"By the way, how do you know all of these doors are locked?"  
  
"When the twin phased to the door, he did so to keep it open. They could have just gone through the door, but they didn't. There must be some kind of code in this hallway that they cannot go beyond."  
  
Artemis and Xerces looked around, only to be faced with the same doorways. How they would get out is anyone's guess. 


	3. A Meeting With Smith

A meeting with Smith  
  
"So no Keymaker and they're trapped in some place of the Matrix I can't easily get to. So, what do I do?"  
  
"Right now," Started Asopus, "I'm not so sure myself. We're kind of lost without Xerces."  
  
Seth had re-opened the door that lead him to the mountain tops, and found himself in an alleyway of the city. He recognized it fully as the area downtown where he met Seraph.  
  
"I guess it couldn't hurt." Seth said.  
  
He opened the door to the building, and to his surprise, no one was there. He walked over to the area that Seraph was sitting earlier, investigating for any traces of the program.  
  
"You have already seen the Oracle, what else do you need?" A voice said from behind Seth. He spun around quickly to see Seraph at the doorway, his hands placed within his shirt sleeves.  
  
"I'm sorry, but my friends are trapped in the backdoors. Our search for the Keymaker was a failure; the Merovingian recaptured him. I must get my friends out."  
  
"The Oracle has taken a liking to you." Seraph said. "I will help you retrieve your friends."  
  
Seraph had taken out the keys that opened the doorway to the hall. When they entered, they were greeted by the same green doors in the white hallway, but not Xerces and Artemis. Seth thought he had heard something from beyond the hallway, and decided to check it out.  
  
Xerces had awakened Artemis and told her that there was someone else in the hall. They began walking, Xerces with his hand on his sword. Artemis felt something in her stomach that confused her; it wasn't painful, it had a sense of hope.  
  
"I think it's Trojan." She stated. Xerces acknowledged her statement with his usual stone face. They came to a corner of the hallway, when suddenly a man with an oriental white coat and short cropped hair pushed them aside.  
  
"I don't mean any harm; I came here with the One." He said.  
  
"What's going on?" Artemis asked.  
  
"I will inform you later, as for now, we must escape."  
  
He opened a door, and the trio had left.  
  
"Well, a surprise." A voice said. Seth was alone now, his gun cocked and ready to shoot at a moment's notice.  
  
"The last thing I need right now is to deal with an Agent, so either get out of the way or be forced out of my way." He said.  
  
Seth was confronted by a man wearing a suit to the tee of the Agents. However, there was something different about this man, something that didn't make much sense.  
  
"You're not an Agent." Seth realized. The man smiled, and although Seth couldn't see his eyes as a result of his sunglasses, he could tell the man had an icy stare.  
  
"And you're not a normal rebel, are you Trojan?" The man said.  
  
"How do you know my name?"  
  
"Oh, I know more than just your name. You see, not just anyone can come through here, only those with a purpose. Your purpose is very dear to the salvation of Zion, and while I must add that your virtues are commendable, your acts are ultimately futile."  
  
"You still haven't answered my question."  
  
"I've been following you for some time, Trojan. I was hoping you would have brought him here, but that is the flaw of hope. Unfortunately for you, you will realize that sooner than you thought."  
  
"Well I'm sorry to tell you, uh."  
  
"Smith, please."  
  
"Right, Smith. I'm glad you think so highly of your skills, but nothing can stop me from finding Neo and taking the machines down. Not even a virus."  
  
"Those are truly words of a man who believes in himself. Such a shame that since your beginning-"  
  
"-I have been plotting your end."  
  
Another Smith had come behind Seth and grabbed his arms, pulling them behind his back. The original Smith came to Seth, and in an attempt to punch him, was thwarted by Seth tossing the other Smith into the original. Seth then flew back to escape the duo, when suddenly a door opened and another Smith walked through. The third Smith didn't see Seth, who pulled the door open fully and kicked Smith down the hall. Escaping with every hair on his head, Seth found himself in an abandoned building overlooking a church and a rundown city.  
  
Suddenly, Seth's phone began to ring.  
  
"Where's the line?" He asked.  
  
"Down the street, near a deli. Be careful Trojan, I see some crazy readings here. It seems like Smith's following you, again."  
  
Seth hung up the phone and proceeded downstairs. As he made it to ground level, he sensed something wasn't right. To his left was Smith, walking with determination towards him. Another Smith had just turned around and smiled at Seth, and two more were coming from his right.  
  
"Great, fighting right now would be too much of a challenge, especially since more are bound to show up. Well, here goes nothing!"  
  
Seth ran to the Smith smiling at him, focusing his energy as he kicked him in the chest and launched up to a balcony. He jumped from one building to the other, gradually making his way to the deli when suddenly a Smith reached out from a window and grabbed his leg. Seth fell down, as was overcome by two more Smiths. They pulled him up, the one from the window holding his leg while the other two were holding both arms. Another Smith made his way from a doorway to Seth.  
  
"You've made it far, and you should know that your efforts would have made any human proud." Smith said with a smile. "But, you brought upon your own end. Goodbye, Trojan."  
  
Seth managed to kick the Smith holding his leg with his one free leg, giving him just enough momentum to spin off the other two. He kicked one off the balcony, and sent the other one rolling to the other side. However, the one available Smith was still accounted for, and proved his existence by stabbing Seth in the chest with his hand. A silver substance began to take over Seth, a cold sensation piercing his heart.  
  
"It is inevitable."  
  
Xerces, Artemis, and Seraph were outside of the backdoor program and had just walked into a crowded street near the center of the city. Artemis lagged behind a bit, the feeling of hope she had before washed away by the feeling of worry. She wanted to make sure Seth was okay, but at the rate they were moving it was hard to make a phone call of any kind.  
  
Suddenly, the trio stopped at an alleyway, and Seraph signaled to Xerces to take out his phone.  
  
"You can call for a hard line now; we're at a place where your broadcast can hardly be seen by any programs." Seraph said.  
  
"And yourself?" Asked Xerces.  
  
"I must make my way back to the Oracle. I have left her side for too long, and with her current predicaments, I fear the worst."  
  
He bowed to the duo and walked off into the alleyway. Xerces dialed the phone and in a matter of seconds, Asopus picked up in a frantic.  
  
"Guys, we have a serious problem."  
  
The crew of the Poseidon were watching Smith's attempt at killing Seth. The entire crew was in shock at the Agent's new ability, and declared it as the power of the upgrades they have recently seen.  
  
"Can't we get him?" Asked Artemis, a hint of fear in her voice.  
  
"I wish, but the coding here has changed dramatically. I've never seen anything like this before, it's surreal." Asopus said.  
  
"It's a virus." Stated Xerces. "This isn't an Agent, it's a virus. But, where did it come from?"  
  
Meanwhile, Seth was trying his hardest to shake the cold feeling nearly surrounding his body. Smith struggled on to take him completely over, but found his efforts more difficult than he had imagined.  
  
"Give in to the fear, into the death that surrounds you." Smith said with a wicked smile. Seth was near his ends; the coldness about covering majority of his body, he felt the depression it brought along with its touch. Suddenly, Artemis had come into his thoughts. Her being lighting his heart, warming him against the frost of the fear around him. In his last struggle, he shouted to his heart's content, every muscle in his body tensing as he purged the fear out of himself. Smith was taken aback, and as his hand retracted from Seth's chest, a force beyond his control had pushed him further away. Seth, coming back to his senses, took a deep breath and glared at Smith. The virus, however, merely fixed his suit jacket, bursting the air pockets in his neck with each quick turn he took.  
  
A Smith tried to grab Seth from behind, only to be smacked in the throat by Seth's hand. More Smith's came to the area, with Seth kicking and punching the rest of them out of the way. The Smith who had tried to take over Seth lunged forward, but was caught with a kick in the chest. Seth was now completely surrounded, and yet kept his own against the onslaught of Smiths.  
  
"He's actually fighting them?" Artemis said.  
  
"It's even better than that." Asopus said. "It's like he has a new sense of himself there. Like he has a bigger purpose."  
  
Smith had gotten in a punch across Seth's face, who fell back into a back handspring as he twisted and crescent-kicked a Smith in the face. He crouched to the ground like a panther before coming back up with a spinning roundhouse to the surrounding Smiths. Now that there was more room, he made his escape to the deli's phone booth.  
  
"He cannot escape!" The Smith's said in unison. Seth neared the booth with increased speed, leaping over Smiths who attempted to grab him and drag him down. However, at the last lunge, a group of Smiths had ripped the phone booth from the ground, tipping over and smashing it to pieces.  
  
"No." Xerces said. His face was marked with defeat as he looked on to Seth's newest obstacle.  
  
Seth stopped in his tracks. His goal had now been crushed, and with the oncoming wave of Smiths, he thought all hope would be lost. The thought of him never seeing Artemis again entered his mind, and boiled his blood to the point where he would not fail anymore.  
  
"I'll give it a shot." He said to himself as the Smiths were coming back into the picture. He looked up at the sky, clouds moving in to make it gray and dull against the dusk red it had been, and with a bend of the knees and an arch of his arms, focused all of his power into reaching the heavens. He shot up like a rocket, destroying most of the roof he had been on as he flew into the sky. The Smiths had been strewn about, one of them holding on for dear life near the shambled roof. Seth was now gone from their sight, and as the scene settled down, Smith could only look on with a smile on his face and a taste of more to come.  
  
"More." 


	4. It's Always Dark Before Dawn

It's Darkest Before Dawn  
  
"Enough of these games. Tell me what the Matrix is, now."  
  
"At last count, the deaths of ten-plus people have been noted as what can only be called one of the most eccentric terrorist attacks ever reported took place today on the 101 parkway. More coverage at 11."  
  
Although Seth had just encountered the onslaught of Smiths, he managed to find time to walk through the city and come across a television set in the window of Zeus' Electric Appliances. The news of the car chase between two leather-clad 'terrorists', two what can only be described as incredibly pale, possibly albino men with guns, and about twelve or so cars piling up on the parkway, and not to mention a head on truck collision causing an enormous explosion and hours of clean up sent a vibe through Seth.  
  
"I missed him again."  
  
Seth had reached Asopus' hard-line after realizing that agents could pop up at any moment. However, as he picked up the phone, he got a call on his cell.  
  
"Can I help you?" Seth stated plainly.  
  
"Theories are what scientists call intelligent guessing. I'd love to hear your theory, though I'm sure you don't have enough information to back it up."  
  
"Who is this?"  
  
"A messenger sent by someone you don't want to cross again. Do yourself a favor and step out of the water, or you'll be pulled in too deep."  
  
"If you knew my intentions, you'd know I have no other choice. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find someone."  
  
"Do you honestly think that the events leading up to now have no relevance to your chance meeting with the One?"  
  
".How much do you know, messenger?"  
  
"More than you'll ever understand. I'm amazed at your blind determination boy. Do you even know what you're getting yourself into? I'm sure you don't. There is so much you need to know, and yet you're being kept from the truth."  
  
"Where can I find you?"  
  
"So curious to know it all, aren't you?"  
  
"Well, when you present me with clues, I'd like to figure out the problem. Can I find you, or am I going to have to tear the Matrix up to get to you?"  
  
"There's no need for either. All you need to know is that your quest may not be the truth. And as for yourself.well, let's just say that appearances aren't everything."  
  
The phone clicked, and the messenger was gone. Seth cursed under his breath, and then realized that he had the other phone at his ear the whole conversation. A line had formed behind him, angry civilians waiting to use the pay phone as Seth stood there, with a cell phone in his hand.  
  
"Hey buddy, you have a phone, you tryin' to be cool or somethin'?" A man shouted.  
  
"Something's not right." Seth said.  
  
"You're damn right, get off the friggin' phone, jerk!" A lady yelled.  
  
The cell rang again, with Asopus on the other line.  
  
"I've got some bad news, Trojan."  
  
Seth had left the streets in favor of an alleyway with nowhere else to go but up. If things looked dangerous, he could at least use his newfound flying abilities to escape.  
  
"So you mean to tell me I'm stuck here. Why?"  
  
"It's hard to explain, but the lines are being closed by some unknown source. As soon as we get it fixed, I'll call you back, but for now stay out of sight. The last thing we need are agents looking for you, or even Smith."  
  
Asopus hung up the phone, leaving Seth to fend for himself for the time being.  
  
A bad time, apparently.  
  
"So, you seek the truth, do you?" A voice said from the corner of the alleyway. Seth had looked over to see a young girl walking into the alleyway, her eyes a faint green and wearing a black dress.  
  
"Who are you?" Seth asked.  
  
"You forget easily."  
  
"You're not like other programs."  
  
"Neither are you."  
  
At those words, Seth took off his glasses and looked the girl in the eyes.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Oh, cat's out of the bag."  
  
"What do you know about me in this world that I don't? If you're so full of answers, tell me what's going on."  
  
"Well I guess there's no reason to beat around the bush for this. You've noticed that you've gained extraordinary powers in, well, a short amount of time. Tell me, this seems odd to you, doesn't it?"  
  
"I've been told that it's because as the One's equal, I'm just catching up."  
  
"Well then explain to me how you've become stronger than he has. If you wanted to, you could very well take over the Matrix, but I suppose that's exaggerating."  
  
"So then you tell me."  
  
"You're a program, Trojan."  
  
"Impossible, I can live outside of the Matrix. You know very well that your own can't leave this place."  
  
"Again, your naivety astounds me. The machines gave birth to artificial intelligence, remember? What's to say that they haven't implemented programs into human bodies?"  
  
Seth stood quiet. What would cause machines to place programs into humans? There has to be some logic for them to use codes inside a living being. Then again, there are more questions to be answered.  
  
"So you mean to tell me that the machines are using humans as save slots for their programming codes?"  
  
"No no, not save slots. Keep up with me here: the machines are placing codes into humans to understand fully the psyche of them. You're more than just a shell, you're more than just.well, more than what I am. You have the best of both worlds, hence making you what you are right now. You just needed someone to unlock that ability, show you the way, so to speak."  
  
"You mean Xerces?"  
  
"In a way, yes. He's guided you through your basic functions, and 'freeing your mind' as you humans like to put it. But there have been others, though you may not even realize it."  
  
"Everytime I've fought an agent, program, or even virus, I've done something I've never done before. You mean to tell me it was them?"  
  
"You're getting warmer. If it's really so hard to guess, then let me spell it out for you: interaction goes beyond fighting."  
  
As if a light bulb had appeared from thin air, Seth understood the riddles of the messenger.  
  
"Persephone."  
  
"Correct! You're catching on!"  
  
"So you mean to tell me that our kiss enhanced the understanding of my abilities?"  
  
"And you didn't even need a cheat sheet. You see, she was made not only as perfect eye candy for the son of Zion, but as an intuitive program. She was programmed to understand the human psyche, but in your case, was used to make you understand yourself. If you ask me, she should've kissed you a little bit longer."  
  
"Very funny. Anyway, she's a program, which means she was made by the machines. How can you try to understand our minds, if we're so full of illogical thoughts?"  
  
"She's an intuitive program, remember? Her job is to find out what makes you guys tick, and keep it that way. The Matrix goes deeper than you think."  
  
"So tell me about the Matrix."  
  
"No, it's too soon for that. I'm here now to let you know of your reason for being. To sum this all up, the machines have programmed you to enhance the one's features. You're a patch, Trojan, an upgrade to give to the One so he can reach the source and save Zion. Or so you think."  
  
"I really wish you'd stop trying to add up suspense." Seth said irritatingly.  
  
"Well I have to keep you on your toes, boy. Now honestly, you're a program and a human, so either you know what's going on or you're trying to disavow any knowledge of it, but ultimately it will come down to this: The world as you know it will never be the same. Everyone of you rebels know that Neo has to reach the source and whatnot, right? Can it really be that easy? Do you really think that when he reaches the source, things will be hunky-dory? I've been around longer than you think, and I can tell you right now that the source is more of your enemy than you've been led to believe about it."  
  
"So then tell me what I need to know."  
  
Suddenly, the messenger began to glow, a hue of green saturating her body. The glow turned into a tremble, and died after a couple of minutes.  
  
"Are you okay?" Seth asked.  
  
"I have to go, and if I were you, I'd leave as well. The Merovingian knows of our meeting, and he's going to be hard-ass to find me."  
  
"Can't you tell me anymore?"  
  
"In due time, boy, in due time!" As though light were her speed, she left. Seth, looked up into the sky; it was getting dark. His phone rang, but as he reached for it, it was shot out of his hand, blowing up into pieces before hitting the ground. Seth just looked at the phone, strewn about in chunk of plastic and wires.  
  
"One meeting was enough for me, and yet you continue to plague my life by conversing with my own henchmen? Did you think I was kidding when I told you your life was at stake here?" The familiar voice of a french man echoing through the alleyway.  
  
Seth put his sun glasses back on, and with cool posture, turned towards the Merovingian. He was accompanied by the two albino twins, and a slew of other thugs that had codes reading of lupine qualities. The night was coming, and this certainly could not be any good.  
  
"It's not like I knew they were coming, they met with me."  
  
"Yes well, they will certainly pay for their actions. You, however, I can deal with now."  
  
"Why are you really after me? You know a lot about me, I'm sure, so tell me what's so important that I'm your number one prize? I would think Neo's the man you're after."  
  
"Quite right, but he's proving to be more difficult to track than I originally thought. So I figure, why not take what needs to go to him? Perhaps that might bring the exclusive savior out of hiding."  
  
"Good luck then. I have no intentions of leaving with you, so by all means bring your worst."  
  
"Very well. You two, defeat him and let's move on." The Merovingian pointed towards the Twins.  
  
The duo pulled out switchblades, not exactly great weapons, but they can do a good deal of damage up close. Seth looked around only to find a trash can, a number of boxes, and some broken bottles.  
  
"Well, guess I'll have to dip into the goodie bag." Seth said as he produced a steel rod from nothing. They lunged forward, and Seth had spun the rod around himself. Getting into a stance, Seth waited for one of them to attack. They both decided to confront him simultaneously, ultimately proving to be the least successful way to get Seth. He swung, jabbed, and thrusted the rod through the Twins, as they had begun to distort and become transparent due to the attacks.  
  
"Maybe it was a genius move to attack me at the same time, then."  
  
One of the had come close to slicing Seth's throat, but as the hand had increased in opacity, Seth pinned it against a wall, breaking the wrist and causing the Twin to drop the blade. Seth kicked it into the boxes, but was punched by the other Twin. Seth bent forward, using the rod as a balance as he kicked one of them in the chest and swung around to drop kick the other on the top of the head. This was a difficult fight indeed, as the Twins could use their ghosting abilities to heal themselves. They had Seth in a corner, leaving him no room to escape, even by means of flying.  
  
"End of the line, Halfling." A Twin said.  
  
"You'd be best to give up now." Said the other.  
  
Suddenly, an electric current fired off into Seth's brain. He closed his eyes, trying to absorb some of the pain of what had just happened, but when he opened them again, rather than a wince he had a face on acknowledgement.  
  
"I'm sure you've been in the Matrix a while, right?" Seth asked.  
  
"It's of no concern to you, but yes." The Twins answered.  
  
"So tell me, in all your time here you never understood some of the rules, right?"  
  
"What are you getting at?"  
  
"You forgot one of the cardinal rules of the Matrix. This isn't really air we're breathing."  
  
With a sudden shout and a raise of his hand, Seth sent a shockwave through the gang, blowing them out of the alleyway.  
  
"Rule number two-If I believe it, then it's as good as done."  
  
Seth attempted his flight, but a dizzying blur of vision came over him, dropping him onto one knee.  
  
"Well, it seems as though the Halfling used up his power!" The Merovingian said. "Well then, it is time you met your maker."  
  
"I think it's time you met Mr.Beretta, then." A voice said from afar. A figure dropped down in front of Seth, holding two guns and a cigarette in his mouth. His exaggerated bangs and wrinkled clothes were a comfortable sight to Seth.  
  
"Hermes, good to see you. I guess we can get back home, huh?"  
  
"Home's in Zion, we haven't been there for months. I'm here to take you back to reality, buddy."  
  
The Twins regrouped, though they weren't too willing to move just yet. The gang of the Merovingian was directly behind them, when one of them became too anxious and ran right for Hermes.  
  
"Wrong move, wolf boy."  
  
A shot rang, and the man fell. He clenched his chest as the wound instantly lit on fire. His body deteriorated in seconds.  
  
"Silver bullets, not exactly victim-friendly." Hermes said with a smile. Seth was back on his feet, though it was obvious that the previous attack drained him. He produced a gun to help Hermes with the gang.  
  
"You gonna tell me that we can fly our asses out of here, or do I have to pump some more bullets into these bastards?"  
  
"The power's coming back, but I only have enough for a long jump. We could take it, and find a hardline, but it's a longshot."  
  
Hermes smiled.  
  
"Good, 'coz I came here for one thing. To have some fun."  
  
Seth smiled, but he knew that they would have to get out of there as soon as they can; the night was showing its face, and the gang could easily transform at any moment.  
  
"Kill them now." The Merovingian said. The Twins transformed and raced to the duo, but Seth grabbed Hermes and embraced the sky. They landed on the rooftop of one of the buildings.  
  
"Ah, it was about to get good!" Hermes said with mock disappointment. Seth looked as though he was ready to collapse.  
  
"Are you okay?" Hermes asked.  
  
"My power, it's draining faster than before. I can see the codes changing."  
  
"What're you talking about?"  
  
"There's something wrong with the Matrix. Let's go, quickly!"  
  
Hermes picked up Seth, and they were on their way to a hardline. However, the were stopped by gunshots coming from below the rooftop.  
  
"What in the hell?"  
  
The Twins had shown themselves once more, permeating the roof and hovering to the surface.  
  
"Give him up, or you both will die." A Twin said.  
  
"Now you're talkin' my game!" Hermes said. He shot at the ghosts as they let the bullets transcend through their bodies, and made their way to Hermes. He unloaded both clips from his guns, and was searching for his others when they got too close. He blocked one attack to his face, and dropped as quickly as he could to sweep the leg out of one of the Twins. He was cut during the process by a switchblade, and as he finally reached for and reloaded his gun clip, a blade was aimed at his jugular. It was a Mexican standoff as the Twins, Hermes, and Seth himself, who managed to lunge forward and point his gun right in the face of a Twin, were left waiting for someone to move.  
  
"I know you can feel it." Seth said. "I know your power's fading, and you don't know why."  
  
"Shut up, or I'll morph and have my brother slice your face off."  
  
"Fine, do it." Seth said, his glasses hiding his piercing eyes. He knew that the Twin was bluffing, and that his ghosting mode would just drain more energy from him. Everyone remained still; one misplaced action would be all anyone needed to cause a massacre.  
  
"Well, who's gonna mess up first, huh? I'm waiting to put a hole in someone's throat!" Hermes said, his anger getting the best of his better judgment.if he actually had some was to be determined.  
  
The Twins pulled up from their enemies, regrouping as the duo of Hermes and Seth kept their guns on them.  
  
"We know that the Halfling is almost powerless."  
  
"It's the other one. He's a human, he still maintains his abilities."  
  
"Yes of course. You know the Merovingian will deal with us later if we do not bring back the Halfling."  
  
"Unless you can find a way to take care of the human, we're stuck."  
  
"Hey, zombies!" Hermes shouted. The duo looked over at him as he shot through them. They had used their abilities as instinct.  
  
"Seth, you good now?"  
  
"I have enough to get us the hell out of here."  
  
"Then what're we waiting for?"  
  
Seth reached for Hermes, and flew off to Asopus' leading of the nearest hardline.  
  
"We're as good as dead." A Twin said.  
  
Seth and Hermes were unplugged from the Matrix, chills running down their spines as they came to realization of the world they were now in. It was dark, dank, and a bit nippy, but it was their home.  
  
"What happened back there?" Artemis said with a look of concern. Her eyes were much different lately; they were soft everytime she looked at Seth, and whenever his name was mentioned she was quick to take notice.  
  
"The messenger closed the lines of the Matrix." Seth stated.  
  
"You're sure of this?"  
  
"Yeah. I realized that she has controlling powers of the Matrix, which is also why she knows so much. But the way she came to me.it wasn't an original shell."  
  
"So you mean she took the code of another for safety?"  
  
"More like she's able to manipulate her own code to change her appearance."  
  
"A shape-shifter, then?" Hermes pointed out.  
  
"Definitely." Seth answered. "But what I'd really like to know is why my power faded so much. Not to mention those Twins, their ghosting abilities dropped heavily."  
  
"Possibly another of the messenger's abilities?"  
  
"No, it was much different. I could see the code of the Matrix mutating into something.I can't really explain it, but we need to figure it out soon. If we're going to win, I need my full power."  
  
Seth noticed from the corner of his eye that someone was still plugged in.  
  
"Hey, where's Xerces?" Seth asked.  
  
"Oh, well we happened upon a signal being sent out by the Nebuchadnezzar."  
  
"You mean-"  
  
"Yep. He's meeting with Morpheus."  
  
Seth jumped up, but looked as though his mind were about to explode, and then dove back into the seat.  
  
"I have to get to where they are right now!"  
  
"You just got back out, Seth!" Artemis said to him. Hermes looked at her in surprise, which Seth didn't catch onto.  
  
"Yeah, and on top of that, the Merovingian is hot on your ass. You may not make it in time."  
  
"You don't understand, if Neo gets to the source, we may not see tomorrow. I have to get to him now."  
  
"What are you talking about?" She questioned.  
  
"Look, it was something I was told, but I believed it. I'm not sure if it is the truth or not, but I'll risk it for now. All I know is that Neo needs to know this. Now either put me in or I'll find a way to jack myself in!"  
  
Artemis stared at him, a grave look of confusion and worry. Hermes looked between the two before finally sighing and going to the dining area.  
  
"You two fools should have figured it out by now."  
  
"Fine, I'll send you in."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"But first-" She pulled into Seth and held him tightly. He closed his eyes and breathed her in; even in the dead world they resided, she was still very much alive to him and he loved it. He put his hand on the back of her head as he pulled back for a second.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Just in case something happens."  
  
He pulled her in with his hand and they embraced. He kissed her softly before she grabbed his cheeks with her hands and gave it her all. A moment had passed before they separated, a huff of breath leaving their lungs.  
  
"Damn Hermes was right."  
  
Seth sat back in the chair, and Artemis plugged him in. He took flight as soon as his residual self image loaded, and came to the exact location. It was close to midnight.  
  
He was nervous, certainly. His journey would finally be over, leaving many thoughts and questions in his head. Would he still be needed? Surely they won't need someone who has no power in the Matrix, as he was about to give it all up to Neo. He walked into a room, where the great Morpheus and Xerces, his leader, were standing next to each other in silent thought. They were very much alike; cold, confident, and very crazy.  
  
"Am I too late?" Seth said.  
  
"Trojan." Xerces said. His voice hinted at a bit of surprise, yet he kept his usual cool.  
  
"I need to see him."  
  
"Yes, it is time." Xerces said.  
  
"Well, there's more to it than that."  
  
"How much more is there?" Morpheus asked.  
  
Suddenly the One himself walked into the room. He stood upright, his face like stone and yet he was pale, and rather wiry. His glasses, like everyone else's, masked his eyes, so it looked as though two gigantic holes gaped through his skull. However, his entire being, from the hair down to his very essence, was perfect. He truly deserved his title.  
  
"Neo..." Seth said.  
  
"You're Trojan."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"It's good to finally meet you. We have some business to attend to."  
  
The two shook hands, and suddenly Seth felt his power falter again. Neo himself looked as though a jolt had gone through his body. When their hands released, Seth was breathing quickly.  
  
"That was it?" He said.  
  
"I think so. The transaction is complete."  
  
Seth nodded as he looked towards Xerces. He smiled at his crewmate, his mission finalized.  
  
"I can't believe it." Seth said.  
  
"What?" Neo asked.  
  
"My entire journey, since being unplugged, has been to find you, and here I am. I have to say, it was worth it."  
  
"Well thank you. Without your help, I'm not exactly sure where we may have ended up."  
  
Neo nodded at Seth, and was about to turn around when Seth called his name.  
  
"Neo, I.I'm not sure if everything I know has been uploaded into you, but I need you to know that your mission may not be exactly what you think it to be."  
  
"I understand you."  
  
"Okay. Just give a second thought to it, because it may not be the best solution."  
  
Neo nodded again, and settled in with Morpheus and Xerces. After a moment, Xerces had walked over to Seth; it was time to go.  
  
"I want you all to know that, at this moment, we may have the advantage we finally needed. I wish you all the best of luck." Xerces said.  
  
The duo left, and were finally headed out of the building to the nearest hardline when of all people, the Merovingian blasts through the lobby doors.  
  
"Where is he?" He asked Seth.  
  
"What's it matter now, the transaction is complete. You're here in vain."  
  
"I have tolerated you enough, you raucous little flea, and now that I know you have no power, I will destroy you as I see fit. Kill them as quickly as possible so that we can reach the Savior."  
  
Seth had had enough. The duel with the Merovingian would come to an end tonight; he would make sure of it.  
  
"Don't underestimate my abilities, you ignorant French twit!" He shouted as he swung a sword at the oncoming gang. They had all moved back, but were in complete shock, as was the Merovingian and Seth himself.  
  
"That is impossible! How can you still have your powers?!"  
  
Xerces unsheathed his own sword, then moved in closer to Seth.  
  
"There is a lot we need to talk about."  
  
"I don't know how I'm able to do it. Do I still have the program within me?"  
  
"We'll figure it out later, but for now let us take care of our situation."  
  
The two confronted the gang, and in less than ten minutes, had sliced and slashed them all to oblivion. All that stood was the Merovingian.  
  
"What happened to your other lackeys?" Seth asked.  
  
"I took care of them for disappointing me, you need not be concerned."  
  
"I'm done telling you to leave me alone. I control my own fate, and I could care less about your ideas of cause and effect. Three times you've faced me and each time I've taken care of you. Do you want me to finally take that head of yours?"  
  
"Do not threaten me boy." The Merovingian said coldly. "I still have powers way beyond your recognition, so choose your words wisely. You may have bested me before, but I will get the upper hand, you have my word on that. I will not let a punk like you take me down, not after all this time!"  
  
He walked out of the lobby, though Seth and Xerces had not followed him.  
  
"I will be returning to the Poseidon." Said Xerces.  
  
"I have something I need to take care of, you go ahead."  
  
"You sure you don't want me to come?"  
  
"Oh don't you worry, you don't have to be ashamed to show me your friends." Said a voice trailing from the lobby doors once more. Seth and Xerces looked over to see a man dressed in a white Armani suit and glasses that fade from normal to sunglasses had walked in, a silk scarf draped around his neck. He wore a smile that went from ear to ear, and his hair was slicked back and relaxed.  
  
"And you are?" Xerces asked.  
  
"Exactly what Seth needed to take care of."  
  
"This person's a program.a messenger. They're the reason I needed to see Neo, aside from giving him my powers."  
  
"Ooh, which comes into question now, doesn't it?"  
  
"I'll deal with you in a second."  
  
A second, three hundred and fourteen seconds, whatever's your cup of tea."  
  
Seth explained to Xerces all that the messenger had told him, and the importance of the source from what he knew.  
  
"And now all that needs to be explained is why." Seth said as he looked at the messenger.  
  
"Oh, and now you want to deal with me."  
  
"Enough of these games. Tell me what the Matrix is, now." 


End file.
